Zimbabwe: Beyond ‘Firing Blanks’ – Why a Zero Sperm Count Does Not Mean the End of the Road.

Amongst men, locker-room banter and casual jokes often cut deeper than anyone admits. When a couple struggles to conceive, you will often hear friends jokingly tease a man that he is “firing blanks.”

In our communities, where manhood, virility, and fatherhood are deeply tied together, that phrase is never just a joke. It carries a sharp sting of shame. For decades, cultural expectations have placed the burden of childlessness entirely on women, while men quietly hide behind bravado. Yet, when a…